Chico Garcia
From BR Bullpen
Vinicio Garcia Uzcanga
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 8", Weight 170 lb.
- Debut April 24, 1954
- Final Game September 20, 1954
- Born December 24, 1924 in Veracruz, Veracruz Mexico
- Died August 16, 2007 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon Mexico
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[edit] Biographical Information
Chico Garcia hit just .113 (7 for 62) in 39 games for the 1954 Baltimore Orioles, but in the minor leagues, most notably in his native country, Garcia was a longtime star.
Chico played professional ball for 27 years from 1944 to 1970 and was later a longtime manager in Mexico. He crossed the border from 1949 to 1959. While with the Juarez Indios in 1949, he led the class C Arizona-Texas League in batting average at .377, hits with 227 (including 20 three-baggers), and runs with 170.
Chico would hit .304 for the Shreveport Sports in the AA Texas League in 1953 and an even .300 for the Toledo Mud Hens of the AAA American Association in '55. He would appear in the American Association for a total of five seasons (1955-59), sporting a combined five-year average of .282. He finished up his careeer north of the border with the Dallas Rangers in 1959.
After returning to the Mexican League in 1960, he hit over .300 for the next five years for the Monterrey Sultanes with his .368 average leading the league in hitting in 1963 when he was 38 years old. Overall Chico hit .306 with 3,116 base hits in 2,803 games in the minor leagues.
The record shows that Garcia's managing career covered from 1965 to 1986 with six different organizations in the Mexican League.
Vinicio "Chico" Garcia died on August 16, 2007 at the age of 83 in his native country at Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.
[edit] Sources
Baseball-Reference.com
Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: Third Edition
Baseball Players of the 1950s
SABR MILB Database:page
[edit] Year-by-Year Managerial Record
